Are You in Bondage?

You have to admit: We all have issues.  Every single person struggles with sin.  We’re all messed up, we’ve all blown it at times, and we all are in desperate need of someone to free us from the sin we find ourselves enslaved to.  And if you don’t think you have a problem with sin, give me a few moments to share with you some things that might change your mind.

First let's talk about the definition of sin.  What qualifies something as sinful?  If you've read our post "Making God #1 in Your Life" (posted 9/1/11), then you may already know the answer.  Sin is anything that messes up our priorities and takes our focus away from God.  Remember that time you saw a sweater your friend was wearing, and you secretly wanted it?  Or that time when said something mean behind another friend's back?  That's called sin, because it focuses on ourselves rather than on God.

Sin doesn't always come in the form of major addictions.  Yes, there are people who are addicted to drugs, pornography, cutting, and other terrible things.  If you are one of those people struggling with these things, please find someone you trust who can help you overcome them.  There's hope for you if you will seek a relationship with God and help from other godly people.

Even if you haven't struggled with these "major sins", don't think you're past the danger of bondage.  Yes, you too have been held captive to sin.  We all have vices in our lives that threaten to trip us up and take our eyes off the most important thing in life - our relationship with God.

Think of the thing that consumes most of your thoughts.  What do you think about when you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning?  Is it boys, homework, fashion, romance?  Although these things aren't inherently sinful, when we allow them to consume our time and energy, they become idols.

Is there something in your life that consumes the time and energy that you should be devoting to your relationship with God?  Are you in bondage to sin?  In the next few weeks, we'll begin discussing how you can let go of sin in your life and find freedom in the sacrfice of Jesus Christ.

Eight Steps to Recovery

1. Realize I'm not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable.  "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor" (Matt. 5:3).

2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.  "Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matt. 5:4).

3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control.  "Happy are the meek" (Matt. 5:5).

4. Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to someone I trust.  "Happy are the pure in heart" (Matt. 5:8).

5. Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.  "Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires" (Matt. 5:6).

6. Evaluate all my relationships.  Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I've done to others, when possible, except when to do so would harm them or others.  "Happy are the merciful and the peacemakers" (Matt. 5:7,9).

7. Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.

8. Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words.  "Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires" (Matt. 5:10).

God Can Change Your Life

Ever felt like you've made too many mistakes for God to love you?  If so, I want to share with you some good news that may change your life.  You are not the only one that has struggled with sin.  Everyone makes mistakes and God, in His perfection, can't have fellowship with anything that's not perfect.  Sinners must pay for their sins; yet rather than making us pay for what we've done wrong, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take our punishment.  God does not condemn those who accept Jesus' sacrifice, because He sees Jesus' perfection in us.  God created us to love and serve Him, and He likes to take broken people and turn their lives around.  God's power is so great that He can take your life and turn it into something He can use for His glory.

You are not the only one who has sinned.  Whether they seem great or small, everyone has something in their lives that they look back on and wish they had never done.  The reason for this is simple: we're fallen human beings.  At one time we all were "gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts" (Ephesians 2:3).  Sin is an inherent part of all of us.  We were born with the desire to do those things which are contrary to God's law.

Romans 8:1 says: "...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  This verse trumpets good news for sinners.  When we go to God for mercy and ask Him for His forgiveness for our mistakes, He not only forgives us, but He doesn't think about our sins anymore.  Rather than hold us responsible for our sin, God sees the sacrifice Jesus made as the payment for all our sins: past, present, and future.  God sent His Son into the midest of broken and depraved humanity that we might experience true life.

God created us to love and serve Him.  Ephesians 2:10 says: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works..."  God didn't create us to do good works in order to earn our salvation; instead, He wants us to do good works and serve Him out of thanksgiving for the love He has shown us.  When we accept Jesus' sacrifice as payment for our sins, we develop a desire to love others like God has loved us.

God holds in His hand the power to transform your life.  I guarantee that if you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, your life will never be the same again; He'll change you from the inside out.  God changed my life, and I know He can change yours.

For more information on how you can accept Christ as your Savior, see the "What Do I Do Now?" page, or feel free to e-mail us at sistersinchrist.girlz@gmail.com.